Escort duty

The gym pulsed with music long past midnight, the official end time having come and gone without anyone paying attention. Fairy lights twinkled above clusters of laughing students, the air thick with the scent of perfume. Elizabeth sidled up to John, her shoulder brushing his as she surveyed the scene with amused indulgence. "Let them have another hour," she murmured, her breath warm against his ear. "They're young, they're having fun—what's the harm?"

Before John could answer, Virginia Eriksen materialized beside them, her blonde braids swinging as she shook her head. "The Maddison twins," she said, nodding toward a corner where Emma and Alice Maddison were giggling uncontrollably and swaying in their feet, their matching porcelain faces flushed pink. "They've been sneaking vodka in their lemonade all night. Someone needs to escort them back before they drink too much."

Elizabeth's coral lips curved into a knowing smile as she plucked John's elbow. "Perfect—you handle the twins, then head straight to your campus house after." Her fingers gave a playful squeeze. "Virginia and I will wrangle the rest of this circus. You look like you could use the rest." The glint in her hazel eyes suggested she knew exactly why he was exhausted.

John exhaled through his nose, fingers tapping against his thigh. "Are we certain I'm the best person to—"

"Go," Virginia interrupted, nudging him forward with her hip. Her braids swung like a metronome. "Before they start trying to climb the bleachers again."

Emma Maddison chose that moment to hiccup violently, her brown hair swinging as she nearly toppled into her sister. Alice—blonde and equally unsteady—giggled at nothing, their matching porcelain faces flushed identically pink under the gymnasium lights. John approached like a man walking toward a lit fuse.

"Ladies." He injected every ounce of principal-ly authority into the single word. It had absolutely no effect. Alice blew a raspberry while Emma attempted a salute that nearly took out her own eye.

"Pwincipal Wee!" Emma slurred, her blue eyes crossing slightly as she focused on his tie. "We were just—hic!—discussing the socioeconomic implications of... of..." She trailed off, blinking owlishly at her sister.

John caught Emma's wrist before she could poke herself in the eye again. "That's enough for tonight," he said, steering both twins toward the exit with a hand on each of their backs. Their matching floral dresses were rumpled, and the scent of citrus vodka clung to them. "Let's get you two back to your dorm."

Alice giggled, tripping over her own feet as they passed the punch bowl. "But Principal Leeee," she whined, dragging out the vowel like a deflating balloon, "we were gonna ask you about extra credit!" She punctuated this by pressing her entire body against his arm, her dyed-blonde head lolling onto his shoulder.

Emma mirrored the movement on his other side, her brown hair tickling his neck. "Yeahhh," she breathed, her warm exhale skating across his collarbone. "Like... hands-on learning?" Her fingers walked up his chest with drunken precision before he caught her wrist.

John's grip tightened fractionally—enough to still their wandering hands. "Dorm. Now." His voice came out lower than intended, the words scraping his throat raw. The twins blinked up at him with identical glassy-eyed innocence that didn't fool anyone.

The night air hit them like a bucket of cold water—or it should have, if Alice hadn't immediately tangled her legs in a shrub. John hauled her upright just as Emma decided this was the perfect moment to attempt a handstand against an oak tree. Her dress flipped upside down, revealing pale thighs and lace-trimmed panties that glowed like moonlight against her porcelain skin.